Gungahlin United secured their place in the National Premier League under-23 Grand Final with a hard-fought, and deserved, 2-0 victory over Tigers FC at Deakin Stadium in the Preliminary Final.

The Gunners were favourites to win the match and got off to the proverbial flyer by taking the lead after only thirteen minutes of the contest with a well-crafted goal. Sebastian Woods, so often the influencer of this line-up, was the architect in chief, his precise pass controlled by Sam Thomson who despatched the finish with the minimum of fuss.

Gungahlin had further chances to extend their lead but were denied by the athleticism of Tigers FC goalkeeper Kristian Nel, whilst Heath Ilitch, in between the posts for the Gunners, was relatively untroubled as the team that defeated O’Connor in the Elimination Final struggled to mount many meaningful attacks.

Chasing the solitary Thomson goal in the second-half, Tigers attempted to up the tempo seeking the moment that would get them back into the contest and rekindle their hopes of a place in the Grand Final.

But it was Gungahlin who had the better of the opportunities as Thomson rattled the crossbar following superb approach work by Seb Woods, and Ilitch made a fine point blank save in the build-up to Thomson striking the woodwork. Ilitch then stunningly denied Thomson with a superb one-handed save as the pressure mounted.

From the resultant corner Gungahlin struck again. Charlie D’Addario swung in a delightful corner that flicked off the head of Tigers skipper Angus Wales and flashed past Ilitch for an unfortunate own goal. Despite throwing everything at it, Tigers were unable to get back into the contest and Gunners stayed alive.

RESULTS

Saturday 14 September

PRELIMINARY FINAL

Gungahlin United 2 (Thomson 13’, A. Wales 65’ (og)) Tigers FC 0